Noël Coward in New York

Starting this month, the polish on the Big Apple will be a little brighter for a while: the Noël Coward in New York festival is getting under way. The debonair playwright, composer, actor, director, poet, and singer will be celebrated in a cavalcade of events across a city he loved, anchored by the exhibition Star Quality: The World of Noël Coward at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (March 12 to August 18), which features photographs, posters, programs, scripts, costumes, and even paintings by Coward himself. Other events around the city will include lectures and panels; a musical revue; a screening at the Academy Theater of Cavalcade, the best-picture Oscar winner based on Coward’s play (March 12); selected readings of Coward’s work at the Drama Book Shop; and a weekend of Coward-related screenings the Film Society of Lincoln Center (May 11–13)—the titles haven’t been announced yet, but we’re hoping the films in our soon-to-be-released box set David Lean Directs Noël Coward will be among them. Check out the complete list of events here.

“One of my favorite "quiet Al' roles is in Schatzberg's offbeat buddy pic "Scarecrow." Pacino lets Hackman be the boisterous one, while he internalizes his character's despair until the ending, which . . .”